一 yī… 就 jiù… Grammar

Grammar Point:
The grammar structure 一 yī… 就 jiù… is a common pattern in Chinese that expresses a cause-and-effect relationship between two events or actions. It is used to describe that once the first event or action occurs, the second event or action will immediately follow, much like the English phrase “as soon as”.

Structure

 S₁ + 一 + V (O), S₂ + 就 + V (O)

Function 1 – It is used to describe that once the first event or action occurs, the second event or action will immediately follow. When S₁ and S₂ are same subject, S₂ can be omitted.

我wǒ一yí看kàn英文yīngwén書shū， 就jiù想xiǎng睡覺shuìjiào我wǒ一yí看kàn英文yīngwén书shū， 就jiù想xiǎng睡觉shuìjiào
I want to sleep as soon as I read an English book.

我wǒ一yì說shuō中文zhōngwén， 朋友péngyǒu就jiù笑xiào了le我wǒ一yì说shuō中文zhōngwén， 朋友péngyou就jiù笑xiào了le
As soon as I said Chinese, my friend laughed.

媽媽māma一yí下班xiàbān， 就jiù回家huíjiā妈妈māma一yí下班xiàbān， 就jiù回家huíjiā
Mom came home as soon as she finished her work.

他tā一yí看見kànjiàn她tā， 就jiù離開líkāi了le他tā一yí看见kànjiàn她tā， 就jiù离开líkāi了le
He left as soon as he saw her.

他tā一yì聞wén到dào臭豆腐chòudòufǔ， 就jiù想xiǎng吐tǔ他tā一yì闻wén到dào臭豆腐chòudòufu， 就jiù想xiǎng吐tǔ
He feels sick as soon as he smells stinky tofu.

FYI
Hey there foodies, let’s talk about one of the most unique and divisive dishes out there – stinky tofu! You may be wondering, why is it so stinky? Well, it’s all thanks to a funky fermentation process involving brine and special bacteria. This process gives stinky tofu its signature scent and flavor that some people can’t get enough of!

Now, I know the smell of stinky tofu can be a bit overwhelming at first, but trust me, it’s worth giving it a chance. So go ahead, be bold, and give stinky tofu a try! You might just discover your new favorite dish. And hey, even if you don’t love it, at least you’ll have a great story to tell about that time you tried one of the smelliest foods in the world!

Compare as soon as in Chinese with English

In English, you can switch the order of ‘as soon as’ either at the beginning or in the middle of the sentence. However, in Mandarin Chinese, the order cannot be changed, and you must follow the pattern 一 yī… 就 jiù… For example,

In English you can say:

• I will go home as soon as I finish my work.
• As soon as I finish my work, I will go home.

In Mandarin Chinese you can only say:

• 我wǒ一yì完成wánchéng工作gōngzuò， 就jiù回家huíjiā了le我wǒ一yì完成wánchéng工作gōngzuò， 就jiù回家huíjiā了le ✅

• 就jiù回家huíjiā了le， 我wǒ一yì完成wánchéng工作gōngzuò就jiù回家huíjiā了le， 我wǒ一yì完成wánchéng工作gōngzuò ❌

Function 2 – In this function, 一 yī represents “every time,” followed by a certain condition, which could be the reason or a cause of what happens after 就 jiù.

我的wǒde狗gǒu一yí看kàn到dào我wǒ， 就jiù開心kāixīn我的wǒde狗gǒu一yí看kàn到dào我wǒ， 就jiù开心kāixīn
Every time my dog sees me, she is happy.

爸爸bàba一yì吃chī辣là就jiù拉肚子lādùzi爸爸bàba一yì吃chī辣là就jiù拉肚子lādùzi
Dad gets diarrhea every time when he eats spicy food.

他tā一yì開始kāishǐ工作gōngzuò， 就jiù不會búhuì接電話jiēdiànhuà他tā一yì开始kāishǐ工作gōngzuò， 就jiù不会búhuì接电话jiēdiànhuà
Once he started working, he wouldn’t answer the phone.

我wǒ一yì想xiǎng到dào明天míngtiān是shì星期一xīngqíyì， 就jiù好hǎo想xiǎng死sǐ我wǒ一yì想xiǎng到dào明天míngtiān是shì星期一xīngqīyì， 就jiù好hǎo想xiǎng死sǐ
Whenever I think about tomorrow being Monday, I feel like dying.

Negation

我wǒ一yì沒méi喝hē咖啡kāfēi就jiù頭痛tóutòng我wǒ一yì没méi喝hē咖啡kāfēi就jiù头疼tóuténg
Every time I did not drink coffee, I will have a headache.

他tā一yì沒méi睡shuì飽bǎo， 就jiù脾氣píqì很hěn大dà他tā一yì没méi睡shuì饱bǎo， 就jiù脾气píqì很hěn大dà
When he hasn’t slept enough, he has a bad temper.

Practice

TouchHover over the space to see the answers.

✔️ Every time I mention the boss, I get angry.

我wǒ一yì說shuō到dào老闆lǎobǎn就jiù生氣shēngqì我wǒ一yì说shuō到dào老板lǎobǎn就jiù生气shēngqì

✔️ He went to bed every day as soon as he got home.

他tā每天měitiān一yì回家huíjiā就jiù去qù睡覺shuìjiào他tā每天měitiān一yì回家huíjiā就jiù去qù睡觉shuìjiào

✔️ I get nervous when I see foreigners.

我wǒ一yí看kàn到dào外國人wàiguórén就jiù緊張jǐnzhāng我wǒ一yí看kàn到dào外国人wàiguórén就jiù紧张jǐnzhāng

Other 就 jiù related posts:

• 就 jiù Chinese Grammar